1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a Folding Desk-Top Billiard Self-Teaching Machine that successfully teach a person to play billiards from use of one's muscle-memory, imagery-memory, sight-memory and feeling-memory.
2. Description of Prior Art
Since the mid 1900s, the sport of billiards has enjoyed an escalation of vigor after a period of obscurity. A study, researched by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), showed that 29.6 million people, 7 years and older, participated in the sport of billiards, more than once, in the U.S.A. during 1989. In this study, billiard's placed eighth in a list of 20 sport participating categories. In effort to capitalize on the escalating, energetic, living billiard population market, inventors, in hope of making billiard's easier to learn, have attempted since early 1950's to invent a billiard machine that could be used in teaching certain fundamental techniques of billiard's, for example:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,033, to Fontain (1980), discloses a Cue Ball Aiming device.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,990 to Josenhans, (1977), discloses a Billiard Aiming Guide.
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,305, to Nicholson (1975), discloses a Pocket Billiard Training Ball, and Method of Teaching Sighting When Playing Pocket Billiards.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,026, to Scoutten (1975), discloses a Billiard Training Device.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,849, to Pierce (1971), discloses a Billiard Training Apparatus.
(6) U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,779, to McGowan (1979), discloses a Aiming Point Indicator for Billiards.
(7) U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,555, to Murch (1965), discloses a Cue Ball Aiming Device.
(8) U.S. Pat. No. 2,708,577, to Bunka (1954), discloses a Cue Practising Machine.
With the exception of the Cue Practising Machine (8) each of these inventions have certain specific application requirements that are so predominately significant and incompatible for use by men, women, children and the physically impaired that they have not come into any appreciable demand. The Cue Practising Machine (8) requires a special designed flat table with a slot in the top through which a mechanized, operated pin projects. It can be seen that the Cue Practising Machine (8) cannot be used conveniently or effectively by small children and the physically impaired. Note, that this unit has no height adjustment mechanism to lower and raise the table level for use by children and the physically impaired.
Aside from the above, each of the present inventions suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) In order to operate effectively, each of these inventions, (1) through (7), is specifically designed to "operate" in an environment in which a billiard table is available for practice. PA0 (b) In order to operate effectively, each of these inventions (1) through (7), require the use of a regulation size cue ball to be used in conjunction with a billiard table. PA0 (c) People who do not own a billiard table or have access to a facility in which a billiard table is available for individual practice, find the addition of a billiard table and a cue ball requirement not only to be an economical hardship, but also a participant inconvenience. PA0 (d) Consequently, these requirements have restrained the interest and use of these inventions by the majority of the billiard population, especially the physically impaired, the children, and the women. PA0 (e) A fifth disadvantage suffered by each of these inventions, (1) through (7), is the requirement that they be precisely positioned for operation on the surface of a billiard table so that a person can effectively accomplish a particular billiard fundamental technique. Thus, this requirement discouraged, and further restrained the interest and use of these inventions by the majority of the billiard population. PA0 (f) A sixth disadvantage, suffered by each of these inventions is that they are designed to "operate" by moving, mechanical parts which require adjustment and alignment before a person can begin to effectively perform a particular billiard fundamental technique. PA0 (g) Consequently, the physically impaired, the women, and the children find these inventions to be too difficult to operate and control. PA0 (a) to provide a invention that is both new and unobvious, and to demostrate that it can successfully operate without the use of a billiard table or a billiard ball. My invention is used by placing it parallel to the top of any supported flat surface such as a kitchen table, or on a dresser top, or on the top of any similar shaped, designed object. Practice is performed by merely stroking a cue-stick shaft repetitiously through one of four elongated slots located within each of the three faces of the invention; PA0 (b) to provide a invention that operates without a cue ball used in conjunction with a billiard table; PA0 (c) to provide a invention that is economically feasible to purchase, and is convenient for operating and use by the billiard population; especially the physically impaired, the children and the women; PA0 (d) to provide a invention that is strikingly new, unobvious and is exciting to operate in a home environment by the total billiard population; PA0 (e) to provide a invention that has a built-in self-teaching capability, and a preciseness and a reliability that is independent of internal and external source of mechanical power; PA0 (f) to provide a invention that successfully operates without moving, mechanical parts, and requires no internal or external adjustment and alignment prior to its selected purpose of operation; PA0 (g) to provide a invention that has a novel, built-in, ease-of-use capability that previously was unknown and not appreciated by the billiard population. PA0 (1) successfully demonstrates that it can solve a long felt, long existing need, in the sport of billiards, to teach a person precision stroking, aiming, sighting, and the controlled feeling of follow-through, PA0 (2) successfully demonstrates that it can be conveniently folded into a transportable position, and hand carried from a home environment to an office environment, to a hotel environment, and to a school environment, PA0 (3) successfully demonstrates that it can be easily and conveniently used by one to three persons practicing at the same tome, and, PA0 (4) being a self-contained apparatus, one which PA0 (5) successfully demonstrates that it requires no repairs. each of which, (1) through (5) certifies its opportunity and potentiality to demand a high dollar mark-up in the billiard sport economy through-out the 21st Century.